Is Something Wrong with Mother Earth?

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Christians have held to the belief that as we near the end toward Christ's second coming, the natural disasters around the world will increase according to numerous verses throughout scripture.

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I have a problem with believing that the authors of the Bible meant the entire planet when they wrote "world." I do believe they meant the physical world known to them. Natural Disasters seem to be a part of living on this planet. I don't think anything is wrong with Mother Earth. Change the balance of power and situations change. Same with the earth. Change the balance of nature and things change.From my tiny world (my life, family, city, state) I don't see an increase. I live in "tornado alley" but I have not seen a tornado since we moved here 10 years ago. Supposedly Indiana used to have quite a few earthquakes. I have only felt one small one in my lifetime. The winters have been mild lately and the spring seems shorter. Without news media, my "world" is very peaceful.How does this increase in natural disasters stack up if you only look at the "world" known to the author depicting the end?

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

So true! My homestead is actually south of Lafayette on higher ground. The low field behind me looks like a small lake right now, but it would need a major amount of rain to reach my house.We have a rainy season every year and the Wabash floods, this one just happens to be worse. The field behind me always looks like a small lake at some point or another. I've seen it higher though.I used to live in New Orleans and it amazed me that people would build in a drained swamp and wonder why it flooded!?IMO,we don't have enough history in the USA to say that natural disasters are more frequent. Europeans have been here probably less than 500 years. Some of my ancestors came over in 1620, others were already here.The first recorded flood in this area wasn't until the late 1800's.We'll be hitching up the wagon this evenin' and headin' into town for some dinner and entertainment. I'll take a gander myself.See there is a record flood just twenty minutes away, but I can't see it. I know it is there because of the news, but it really doesn't affect me. (Now if I had to go to work at Purdue this week, I would have had to take an alternate route before crossing the river, but I still would have made it in.)So without the media, how much "world" did the NT author really envision?IMO, they wrote of what would affect them, not the planet.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Which commandments specifically?The Ten?
What Jesus told the rich man?
The golden rule?

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

You didn't answer my question.Which commandments?

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

The comment you made to Crash.

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Send me a list of names of sinless human beings who have never broken a commandment, and I'll answer your hypthetical question.

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So we have:1. Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, which is based on Deuteronomy 6:5 where LORD equals YHWH. How does this manifest itself?2. Love your neighbor as yourself, which is based on Leviticus 19:18 and sums up all commandments.If one is not following these two commandments then it supposedly shows through the person's actions: Are you saying that you honestly don't know one single person who isn't manifesting the works of the flesh?Since the assertion is that sin is causing the natural disasters and that no one is exempt from the disasters because all supposedly sin and that repentence doesn't bring forgiveness, then this line of questions is still on topic.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

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Your Message 18
You bet there is. Is was cursed for our sake; it bears thorns and thistles for us. Instead of the sweat of our brow, we chose to make chemical spray, which causes cancer and other diseases as well as birth defects. An then we wonder why God won't cure malaria for us. Oh, and we also chose to squeeze God out of our schools; and then we wonder why God lets things like Columbine happen. We lie naked or topless on the beaches, and wonder why God won't stop a tsunami. Oh my, I'm really getting out in left field, aren't I?

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Genesis 6:5 - And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (So God sent a flood.)

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Are we any different today?

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We aren't way off topic.The news media inundates us with bad news from all over the globe. Is your town really that wicked?Making chemicals to fight weeds to produce food, does not go against the commandments. Many farmers and home gardeners are organic. Tribes still exists that don't use chemicals.Not allowing prayer (to any God) in school also isn't against the commandments. If God is within us then he is in the schools.Laying naked or topless on the beach also isn't against the commandments.Yes I know people who follow all the commandments as you described the commandments.My husband is one.
My father was another one.
My neighbors are excellent people.
I know a Jewish lady who is a wonderful woman.Every imagination of the thoughts of my heart are not continually evil.Now if you want to blame weather changes which may contribute to natural disasters (not my field of expertise) on mankind's disrespect for the land, I would agree. But tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes, IMO, are not the result of wicked thoughts or breaking the commandments you described.Our planet is alive and changes over time whether we like it or not.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

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I see you omitted yourself from that list

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I don't judge my own actions.And yes I know their hearts by their actions.You're changing lanes. We aren't talking about the afterlife.You were talking of sins on this physical earth, causing God not to stop natural disasters on this physical earth.

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Your Message 23
It has to do with SHUTTING GOD OUT OF YOUR LIFE, rebeling against his laws, then blaming him for not intervening when things go wrong.

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Crashfrog Message 30
Are you saying that faithul Christians who follow God's laws don't get wiped out in natural disasters?

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Crash wasn't talking about the afterlife.

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Your Message 32
Send me a list of names of sinless human beings who have never broken a commandment, and I'll answer your hypthetical question.

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In Message 66 I asked which commandments and quoted Ezekiel which shows that people will not be held accountable to breaking the commandments if they turn away from their sins and continue to do right. You apparently do not consider this an option even though God does.Ezekiel 18:21-22
But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live.God does not require people to be sinless, but he does want us to be just and lawful. (righteous)

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Your Message 68
Ezekiel gave us a supposed "simple" solution to our problem, BUT we couldn't do it. If mankind would have been able to do what Ezekiel 18 called for, then the sacrifice of Jesus would have been unnecessary.

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When did God say we couldn't do it?
When did God take away the possibility of repenting from wrong ways and following right ways?IMO, people are quite able to follow the commandments you gave and I summarized in Message 79. People are also able to change from doing wrong behavior and then doing right behavior. Many have proven that.Either you trust that a good heart is manifested as good fruit or you don't.So if a Christian is manifesting the fruit of the spirit and following the commandments mentioned, will that Christian be exempt from natural disasters?Again we aren't talking about getting into the kingdom of heaven.

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A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.